Mischief in the mix, but serious issues at stake

your say July 28, 2016 01:00

Re: “Saying Brexit MPs drugged goes beyond reason”, Letters, July 27.

This is getting complicated! To be fair to Robin Grant, his letter was referring to my own of July 16, which was partly tongue in cheek and not meant for literal interpretation. It was a “mischievous” attempt to suggest that democracy might currently be in crisis, undergoing a rather scary destabilisation exacerbated by the egomaniacal “antics” of the likes of Boris Johnson and Donald Trump.

We allow democracy to be hijacked, taken for granted or treated with disrespect at our peril and should at least consider that all may not be well. Aside from the more cerebral and complex democratic issues, many citizens are simply bored with empty promises and cynical of soundbites. They are sick of lies, insults and exaggerated claims, sad at declining moral standards in politics and the increased corruption, browned-off by the cult of personality and disillusioned by self-serving elected representatives who promise impossible things.

Grant and I disagree enormously on the nature of the Brexit referendum. Along with a sizeable number of other British expats, I was not even entitled to vote, by the way.

I thank Egon for shrewdly proposing that “the Brexit vote was democratic because the one-man, one-vote principle was upheld, but undemocratic because the lies told as part of the Leave campaign made it impossible for voters to make a sound choice”.